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Five years after the landmark Supreme Court judgement on the
protection of religious minorities’ rights, Pakistan’s minorities are worse off
than they were in 2014. This was the concern expressed at a recent conference
held by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) along with other civil
society organisations to reiterate the importance of implementing the
judgement.

The conference was organised jointly by HRCP along with the
Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), the National Commission for Justice and Peace
(NCJP), and the Cecil and Iris Chaudhry Foundation, was widely attended by
civil society, including lawyers, journalists, human rights activists, and
members of diplomatic missions.

HRCP’s honorary spokesperson, Mr
I A Rehman, “said that the implementation of the Jillani judgement was ‘not
just a matter of concern for minorities alone. It is the concern of all
Pakistanis.’ He added, ‘States that do not take good care of their minorities,
perish. Yet the state has created an environment in which the media is afraid
to discuss the problems faced by religious minorities.’”

Peter Jacob, executive director of CSJ described
the judgement as a “key catalyst in building pro-minority jurisprudence in
Pakistan and criticised the state’s apparent reluctance to proceed on the
judgement’s directives.”

The
panel “included jurists, rights activists and representatives of different
religious communities, spoke at length about the state’s lack of compliance
with the Jillani judgment with respect to job quotas for minorities, the
protection of sites of worship and the need to eliminate discriminatory
material from school and college curricula. Speakers included Mr Imran Kabeer,
a representative of Pakistan’s Kalash community; educationist Dr A. H. Nayyar;
Mr Parkash Mahtani, a representative of the Hindu community from Sindh; Dr
Adnan Rafique; and Bishop Joseph Arshad. Justice (R) Ali Nawaz Chowhan,
chairperson of the National Commission for Human Rights, impressed on
participants the state’s historical and constitutional obligation to protect
the interests of religious minorities. Justice (R) Nasira Iqbal said it was not
just that the Jillani judgement had to be implemented, but that its ‘ethos must
be understood and pursued.’ Former Senator Farhatullah Babar pointed out that,
following the Jillani judgement, ‘we thought that all the decisions would be in
accordance with the jurisprudence,’ adding that this had not been the case.
HRCP Secretary-General Harris Khalique noted that there was a need to revisit
the ‘concept of equal citizenship in Pakistan’s constitution, so that all
citizens enjoyed the same rights irrespective of faith.’”